Baby too fat??

mommar13 · August 2014

So DS had his 4 month wellness check today and the Dr commented on DS being too heavy for his length. He's 24.5 inches long and 16lbs 12oz. Since he mentioned it, I asked what DS should be eating daily just to make sure we were in the right area. I'm thinking he might be getting 4-8 oz too much per day. Dr said at this age he should eat 4oz every 4 hours and then cut out about 2 feedings due to sleep, so roughly 16oz a day. Holy shit, what?? DS eats 40-45oz a day. How much is everyone else eating? 16oz just seems like it couldn't be enough for them daily! My inner southern woman is cringing at the thought of trying to cut DS down that much.

bridetobe9132013 · August 2014

My DD is eating about 4oz every 2-3 hours. About 20-25 oz a day

crystalmir91385 · August 2014

bridetobe9132013 said:

My DD is eating about 4oz every 2-3 hours. About 20-25 oz a day

This. I BF, so it's hard to say exactly, but when I giver her a bottle she never takes more than 4 oz at a time.

mommar13 · August 2014

Right now DS eats 5oz every 2 hours during the day. He sleeps great, so only 2-3 bottles between 10pm and 9am. He was 6lbs 3oz at birth. Dr said feed him cereal to make him feel full without actually feeding him and give him pedialyte if he seems thirsty. Idk, it just seems wrong to me.

FlemDance · August 2014

I EP and Kerrigan gets about 20-25 oz. a day, eating every 3ish hours or so. 16 oz. a day sounds ridiculous - that would basically be cutting his feedings in half! No way!

FlemDance · August 2014

mary97 said:

Here is what I found from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia regarding formula feeding amounts.

https://www.chop.edu/healthinfo/feeding-guide-for-the-first-year.html

16 oz is far less than anything I've read regarding formula feeding amounts, I would consider finding a new doctor. We ff and she gets 4 oz every 2 1/2-3 hrs usually, she seems to be in middle of growth spurt so she's been extra hungry. Last night she probably had 16 oz between last bottle at daycare and bedtime. We tried 5 oz but she's spit up horribly so we dropped her back down to 4 oz. Is it even possible to over feed at this age? They are either hungry or they are not, I would think as long as you aren't forcing them to finish a bottle and it's not your go to response when they are crying it shouldn't matter how much you feed them.

ALL OF THIS. Infinite lovetits.

lfleming84 · August 2014

That sounds crazy to me. I had asked our pediatrician about how much he should eat since I BF but he gets a bottle for his pre-bed meal. I was giving him between 4-5 oz depending on how much he wanted. The doctor said between 1.5-2.5 oz per lb of body weight is pretty normal for the day. Therefore, a baby weighing 15 lbs would normally consume around 30 oz in a day. I looked on Kellymom and the normal range there is 19-30 oz per day. My LO has been in the 80-90th percentile for height and weight since day one.

biscuitsgirl2007 · August 2014

I'd be finding a new doc. Pedialyte if he seems thirsty? How the heck are you supposed to figure that out? Isn't the 4 oz every 4hrs the controversial method that was introduced in a thread not too long ago? Mine is BF so not quite sure how much he is getting but he nurses in the morning when he wakes up, 3- 4.5 oz bottles at daycare, nurses twice before bed and one MOTN feed. So probably 7 feeds averaging 4 oz is 28 oz. LO is no where near being too heavy either.

ho11yday · August 2014

DS eats about 25-28 oz. If we feed him less, he wakes up hungry. More than that he throws it up.

Jerzeygrl329 · August 2014

Mine has been taking 4/5 bottles a day, 6.5-7.5 oz. Typically he winds up eating anywhere from 28-36 oz. At my 2 month appt my dr told me 25-30 ounces at that age was normal. I can't imagine 16 oz at 4 months!

Ladiebug710 · August 2014

DD is BF, but gets bottles at daycare and once a month I have to be at work for 24 hrs straight. This past Saturday she ate 28 oz. I can't imagine cutting that down to 16.

dogsombrero · August 2014

Dude is in the 98th for height and eats 28-35 oz a day roughly. Pedi didn't seem to have a problem. He was 10.14 at birth and is probably 17-ish pounds now. He's still wearing carters 0-3 month clothes comfortably at 15 weeks. It might be time to switch doctors.

ETA- Spelling

ksyknelvr73 · August 2014

Yeah, no. LO eats 5 oz every 3 hours, he takes 5 bottles a day. He was also 15 lb 12 oz at his TWO month appt and not a word was said to me about him eating too much.

letal316 · August 2014

bridetobe9132013 said:
My DD is eating about 4oz every 2-3 hours. About 20-25 oz a day

This. She is FF.

fairytalewed · August 2014

That sounds ridiculous! If LO is hungry, he eats! LO is 14.5 weeks, he eats about 30oz per day (FF) and my pedi said that's fine.

bazingaa · August 2014

My DS is breastfed and always takes seven 4oz bottles daily for a total of 28oz.

lrmrtn · August 2014

DS is 14 weeks and eats about 40-45 oz a day too. At his 2 1/2 month appointment, he was 24 inches and 13 lbs, 2 oz. I told our pedi how much he eats and he said it was fine if that's what he wants.

laurblum · August 2014

DD takes 5/6 5oz bottles a day. So 25-30oz. She goes roughly 3 hours between feedings and STTN 8:30-8:00. Don't ask me how. I did nothing. No sleep training or food scheduling whatsoever. Your doctor sounds like an idiot and I'd find a new one. My doc encourages me to feed her when she's hungry.

Kinipela7 · August 2014

I feed DD every 3 hours so it ends up being 5x/day. I think she is getting around 20 oz - maybe a bit more.

kellyld6926 · August 2014

DS is 3 1/2 months and eats about 35 oz a day. Around 2 months he was eating upwards of 38+ oz a day. His pediatrician said to feed him as much as he wants. As long as he is not spitting up a lot then it is ok. I think it is wrong to withhold food from a baby. They only eat when they are hungry unlike adults who graze and eat out of habit even when they are not hungry (guilty!). He is a growing boy and knows what he needs. He may be getting ready to grow longer/taller and he needs the extra oz right now.

RachelCA29 · August 2014

I EP and supplement with formula. I pump 28 ounces a day and then he eats 4-8 ounces of formula on top of that. I find if he doesn't eat 32 ounces in a day he doesn't sleep well at night but he rarely eats a full 36. LO eats 16 ounces of BM/formula before 2 pm each day! I can't imagine giving him any less than 26 and not have him screaming in hunger all night.

momo214 · August 2014

My DD is BF with formula supplemented maybe 1-2x a week. She eats 4-5oz every 3 hours from 7am-8pm and a couple tiny feedings at night. She's a little peanut so she's eating well but still small. Can't imagine you cutting back on feedings for a bigger baby that needs to eat more.

QOTR · August 2014

My little guy is 13 weeks and eats 12-13 times a day. I'm not sure how much each time but on the occasions he does take a 4 ounce bottle, he often wants to be topped off at the breast after that. At his 2 month checkup, he was 99 percentile in weight and 97 in height. My dr wasn't concerned then.

QOTR · August 2014

ljbreck said:
He was 10.14 at birth and is probably 17-ish pounds now. He's still wearing carters 0-3 month clothes comfortably at 15 weeks.

ETA- Spelling

Wow! My son was 10.13 and is around 16.5 now at 13 weeks and he's outgrown most of his 6 month clothes. I wish we could have gotten more mileage out of the 3 month wardrobe.

dogsombrero · August 2014

@QOTR‌ He was 25.25 inches at 2 months and all his chub is in his arms and he's got a broad chest. Carter's fits really well for long babies. I'm scared about him outgrowing his car seat before he's a good sitter.

bossyferg · August 2014

DS is 14 weeks tomorrow and weighs 14lbs. He eats 4 to 6 oz every 3 ton4 hours and is normally up once or twice a night but only drinks about 2 - 3 oz in MOTN

apinkpelican · August 2014

I love me some chunky babies! We are working on it

She's finally putting on some good thighs now that we've introduced formula.

But seriously I'd call your Dr. to clarify that is what he/she meant. I can't image she'd be putting LO on that severe of a 'diet'. If so I'd be finding a new pedi

Katzalia · August 2014

16 oz a day is crazy!! My DD is on the other end of the spectrum (super long and having trouble eating enough to gain fast enough). She takes between 20 - 28 oz of formula a day, plus BF -- maybe 6 oz of BM a day? I would say usually in the 28-32 oz range total, at 13 weeks.

I would have a serious talk with your pedi about his recommendation, and probably find a new one. This isn't a minor issue.

ETA: still can't type on my phone

deanna1313 · August 2014

I don't know how much he's getting because I breast feed and formula feed, but my little guy is 16 lbs and will be three months on Saturday.
He eats 6oz of formula or however much breast milk every 2 to 3 hours.

I have NEVER heard of a baby at that age still drinking only 4oz and as far apart as 4 hrs.
I also think I would question whether it was time to switch drs.

krlovell · August 2014

I honestly think your dr is crazy pants!!! When I was concerned about my supply (BF) dr said as long as I produce an ounce an hr I'm good to go and that was when DD was 8 weeks. So that is a min of 24 ozs a day. Now that DD is 4 months I give her 5 oz bottles of BM at daycare and she eats a bowl of oatmeal (2 Tablespoons made with BM). So she's eating 15 ozs while I'm at work and then I nurse her 2 more times before bed and once in the morning. So roughly 30 ozs with a bowl of oatmeal, and each time she eats she acts like she's starved to death. If my dr told me to feed her less I'd thank them for their opinion walk out and find a new dr!

RachelCA29 · August 2014

deanna1313 said:
I don't know how much he's getting because I breast feed and formula feed, but my little guy is 16 lbs and will be three months on Saturday.
He eats 6oz of formula or however much breast milk every 2 to 3 hours.

I have NEVER heard of a baby at that age still drinking only 4oz and as far apart as 4 hrs.
I also think I would question whether it was time to switch drs.

Wait a minute ... 4oz 4 hours apart; that sounds familiar. Is this doctor from New Jersey and promising your newborn will sleep through the night? It's all making sense now. Get a new doctor!

theoryofwhat · August 2014

At 4 months, DD is having 6oz every 3 hours. She was 7lbs 1.6oz @ birth, now around 13-14lbs (will find out Friday for her 4 month shots).
She certainly likes to eat, but she's definitely not overweight.

I think you should consider finding a new pedi- 16oz a day seems like it would be starving your LO.

Deems83 · August 2014

As long as you try to stay below 32oz I was told it's fine. At 1 month old my DD was having about 32-36 oz a day... Now she has about 25oz because I cut out the MOTN feedings bc she was sleeping through the night (although the last 2 nights she has gotten up but I'm not feeding her when she does this bc I feel like that would be a step backward). You do what is right for your child. My daughter is 14lbs and 23 inches long and my pedi didn't seem concerned (14 weeks).

spinsoffresonance · August 2014

That is ridiculous advice. All of DH's family is obese so I'm very mindful of feeding the kids well . DD1 has always been about 85th percentile in height and weight. I asked if she was too fat but the pedi said they don't consider kids overweight until they're older than 2 years old. His advice is to let the baby (EBF) and toddler eat as much and as often as they want, just make sure to give them healthy foods once they start solids.

Bootsie327 · August 2014

crystalmir91385 said:

bridetobe9132013 said:

My DD is eating about 4oz every 2-3 hours. About 20-25 oz a day

This. I BF, so it's hard to say exactly, but when I giver her a bottle she never takes more than 4 oz at a time.

^Same! 16oz does not sound like enough.

rona118 · August 2014

DD will be 4 months tomorrow (is it bad I've already lost track of weeks-lol). She went last week for a sick visit and was 15.1 lbs, She eat every 3 hours 5-6 oz. I am always happy for a baby to have a little chub. That way when they get sick, they have some reserve.

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